There are some films you just love to watch because they are so pleasurable in a way only you can relate to. This is what I felt about Diner, anyway. It’s a film that takes us back to those much simpler times of America, the late 50s, where everyone has a groovy car, the youth culture of the 60s still seem millions of years away, and the sweet tunes of Frank Sinatra filled the airwaves. I love this time period on film, and it was particularly well portrayed in American Graffiti. Diner also has this, although somewhat more tunes down. But what else does it have, besides a bit of classic Americana? There are actually quite interesting characters in this film, and it is a wonderful collaboration of some talented actors and fine directing.
This is the kind of films that Hollywood should make, although sadly they don’t anymore. It is a fairly low-key piece, but with some wonderful characterizations and performances, as well as entertaining scenes of the guys just hanging out. Most of the cast weren’t that famous when this film was made, but have gone on to become big names, such as Steve Guttenberg, Daniel Stern, Mikey Rourke (Jesus Christ, he looks absolutely nothing like he does in The Wrestler, talk about aging badly) and Kevin Bacon. The cast does a wonderful job as the film jumps between their different stories and problems. In a way it’s a coming of age story, or a “get off your ass and come of age” story. All the characters are on the edge of being youngsters and adulthood, one is married and one is getting married. They all love to relax at the local diner, where they more often than not spend their time, just chatting and wasting their time. Despite its set up, the film manages really well to avoid melodramatics and emotionalism. One good example is the Eddie character who is getting married. Although he likes his fiancé, he will only marry her on the condition that she passes a quiz on sports that he has devised, and it’s quite a grueling one as well. The characters are trapper between the infantile and adulthood, and the film captures this quite wonderfully. Another example is the character Shrevie, who goes mental when he finds out his wife has somewhat mixed up his tightly organized collection of records, to the point that she starts crying and contemplates cheating on him. At the end the character’s don’t really achieve any sort of conclusion, so the film is more like a slice of life film, but wonderfully convoluted in its own right.
The film does really well in dramatizing and characterizing the characters, so by the end you truly feel like you know these people. The most interesting character for me was Bacon’s character, Fenwick, who is quite possibly mad, but also some sort of quiz genius. He is the most “lost” of all the characters, and his story arc is left the most open, there doesn’t really seem to be much to hope for in his character. Yet all these characters live through their life with the support of each other, but as I said, the film wonderfully avoids sentimentalism. There isn’t any hugging or “I love ya man”, but a strong fundamental male bond between these characters, and it’s one of the things that really gives the film its quality. The film is also really well paced, exploring each of the characters stories in its own time, dwelling on their problems and issues. It takes a sit back, and just explores the lives of the characters. In this fast paced modern world of hyper block buster films, I found it incredibly refreshing. But all the emotional scenes are handled extremely classy, and the observations are captured with a sense of joy and discovery, and it really does make the films world come alive vividly. The time period is captured really well, although I would say that American Graffiti captured it even better. But Diner is an important film, it’s a film where you can kick back and enjoy, but it’s just not a popcorn film, but has more depth to it. The end, while not overall positive, leaves you with a warm feeling. There might be uncertainty in the future, but there’s always the brightness of friendship and closeness.
I thoroughly enjoyed Diner. It’s a fine film and a character piece, exploring the lives of five young men in crisis. It has great moments and dialogue, and most importantly, when it is over you will truly know its characters, and feel like you’ve been close to them. It’s a positive film, overall, but the ending and message is more complex than that. It could be compared to American Graffiti, but I would characterize Diner as American Graffiti’s older and somewhat more sophisticated cousin. However, both are great movies.
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